Reservations
by amy.werner.794
Summary: Botched hotel reservations test Amanda and Francine's growing friendship in this continuing short story about their adventures in Atlanta.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:"Scarecrow and Mrs King " is the property of Warner Bros and Shoot the Moon Prod. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's note: My thanks to Lanie Sullivan for being my beta and a good friend!

Amanda stood in a corner of the elegant lobby of the Marriott Buckhead Atlanta hotel, watching Francine arguing with the desk clerk. She was torn between being amused by her colleague's attempt to throw a tantrum "discreetly" and the trepidation that she felt at the prospect of their having to share a room if Francine didn't prevail. Sunlight streaming through the grand hotel's large windows bounced off the diamond wedding set that she'd been wearing openly for the past three weeks, distracting her from the ongoing negotiations. _It's just not fair; we thought that after we staged a public wedding we'd be together more, but here I am on an out of town case with Francine_ _rather than Lee._ Never being one to feel sorry for herself for too long, she began to study a rack of brochures from local restaurants, shopping destinations and tourist attractions.

The two women had been sent to the ultra chic Atlanta neighborhood to provide an additional level of covert security at an event at which Jordan's Queen Noor would be speaking. Born Lisa Halaby in Washington DC, the fourth wife of a Middle Eastern monarch, she occasionally stirred controversy by tackling issues that highlighted Jordan's disagreements with American foreign policy. The Jordanian government insisted upon providing for her security without American interference. Dismayed by the prospect of having something untoward happen on our soil, the Agency was tasked with sending two female agents to attend the event posing as wealthy American activists.

Francine came up behind Amanda, as she was thumbing through a brochure from Lenox Square Mall, the self described essential destination for legendary Buckhead shopping.

"Lenox Square is fine for having lunch, especially since it's connected to the hotel, but every serious shopper knows that Phipps Plaza has the finer stores."

"You and I have wildly differing definitions of what serious shopping constitutes, but we can discuss that later. Did you straighten out the snafu with our reservations, or are we going to be roommates?" Amanda shifted her weight from one foot to the other, regretting having given into Francine's admonition to dress the part she'd be playing.

"That man," she eyed the clerk coldly, "was beyond being reasoned with. I know how to deal with those kinds of people; I'm a world traveler but he wasn't interested in discussing creative solutions to our problem. He kept telling me that if our reservations for two rooms didn't show up in his computer then there was nothing he could do because the hotel is completely booked."

"It isn't the end of the world; I'm sure the room is quite large and well appointed. We'll only be here for two days and we won't be spending much time in the room anyway." Amanda smiled as memories of many of the rooms that she'd shared with Lee over the years crossed her mind.

"You're thinking about your husband…it's still kind of strange for me to think of Lee and the word 'husband' in the same sentence."

"Francine-"

"Don't get all worked up; I'm truly happy for both of you. So much in my life has changed lately…I'm still processing everything." She looked around the busy lobby and then back at Amanda. "Let's go up to the room and freshen up. My feet are killing me and I want to take off these heels. I wasn't born wearing stiletto heels you know." The easy camaraderie that had been developing between them returned as they laughed and headed to the elevator.

After checking in with Billy and calling the respective men in their lives, Francine and Amanda headed to Lenox Square Mall for lunch. They quietly discussed their plan to surreptitiously check out the banquet room where Queen Noor would be speaking the next day. Determining that they wouldn't be able to do anything until there were fewer hotel guests and employees walking around that area, they decided to linger over their meal and check out the ballroom later. As the busboy removed the dishes from their table, Francine watched Amanda casually observing the restaurant's other patrons with a contemplative expression on her face.

"Do you see someone suspicious," Francine queried, having developed grudging respect for the junior agent's instincts.

"No, why do you ask?"

"You looked so deep in thought; naturally I thought that there might be a problem." Amanda fidgeted with the napkin in her lap and didn't meet her gaze. "What were you thinking about?"

"You're going to think that this is silly." Biting back a number of possible acerbic responses, Francine remained silent so Amanda plunged on. "Even before I worked for the Agency," she whispered before continuing at a normal volume, "I used to watch people and imagine who they might be; people are often nothing like what they appear to be on the surface."

"That's an understatement!" The conversation stopped while their waiter placed their desserts on the table. As soon as the waiter walked away, they plunged their spoons into the chocolate mousse covered brownies that they'd agreed would be their reward for having had salads for lunch. They were both enjoying the dessert, but Amanda had expected Francine to comment on the chocolate concoction.

"Okay, Francine, now it's your turn…you look so far away…what are you thinking about?" Rather than answering the question, she placed another spoonful of mousse in her mouth. Realizing that Amanda was too stubborn to accept not having her question answered, Francine took a sip of white wine and then faced her companion.

"I was thinking about you and Lee…well more you than Lee." She traced the base of her wine glass with her fingertip. "We've gotten to know each other pretty well since we launched this friendship experiment, but there's one thing that I really can't figure out."

"What is it," Amanda asked, as she also lost interest in the mousse in front of her.

"You and Lee made a conscious decision to stage a second wedding rather than acknowledging your secret marriage yet you told me the truth. After you two told me the truth together, I went to Lee and asked him why you both chose to tell me the truth. He said that it was your decision."

"Francine, it took an enormous leap of faith for you to accept my offer of friendship, and then open up to me about your life. I didn't want to betray your trust by being less than honest with you."

"I wouldn't have known the difference." She took another sip of wine and tried to conceal how touched she was by Amanda's statement.

"I wasn't being entirely unselfish. I want a woman friend that I can talk to openly and I'd like that friend to be you. Sure, we're very different in a lot of ways but we have things in common as well. We both love chocolate and we both love shopping."

"Hey, you said before that we have very different ideas about what 'serious shopping' constitutes. I love to shop and you love to bargain hunt."

"I don't love bargain hunting…being able to stretch every dollar as far as I possibly can has been a necessity…and I take some satisfaction in being able to do it well. If I had endless time, I'd like to be able to wander through fancy stores and look at things that I usually only see in magazines or on other women."

"Really?" Francine finished her last piece of brownie and visibly perked up.

"Yes, Francine, really, you've been spending time in my world lately, so how about if you show me around in your world. We have three hours to kill and I'd like to spend it with you exploring the finer shops at Phipps Plaza. Are you game?"

Francine waved down the passing waiter and requested their check, while Amanda hurried to finish her dessert.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ooohh," Francine purred contently, as she caressed the length of the shaft. She'd decided as a college student that she would never settle for less than the best that she could get, and thus far she never had.

"Does it feel as good as it looks?" Amanda's whispered question broke the spell, so Francine quickly put down the luxury leather boot, and turned to face her shopping companion.

"Of course it does, in a store like this; all the leather goods feel absolutely wonderful. The clientele won't settle for anything less than top notch quality and style." She turned her attention from an awed Amanda, back to the dark brown knee length boots. Eyeing them critically, she reached out and adjusted the turn down cuff at the top of the shaft, and then fingered the antique gold equestrian finding at the ankle.

"Are you going to try them on," Amanda asked, as she finally reached out to touch the boot herself. "Wow, I've never felt leather of this quality, let alone owned any."

"I'm not going to buy them." Francine once again turned from the pair in question, and allowed her eyes to roam the other boots that were on display. "It may surprise you to discover that I don't buy everything that I might like to own; even I have a budget."

"I didn't mean to suggest-"

"That I'm a clothes-horse…I am and I'm not ashamed of it. I have a well-honed sense of personal style and people admire me for it," she stated more loudly than she had intended. Amanda took a step back; surprised by Francine's outburst and slightly embarrassed as other shoppers looked in their direction.

"Francine, I don't know what I said-"

"Please, don't apologize." The usually unflappable blonde actually looked uncomfortable with the attention that she'd drawn to herself. "You didn't say anything wrong; I was being thin-skinned. I'm sorry I jumped on you." Amanda sensed her sincerity as she looked at her downcast blue eyes.

"Don't worry about it…we all have moments like that." She wanted to reach out and offer a fleeting offer of physical comfort but she didn't dare.

"You don't," Francine challenged. She glared icily at the one shopper who was clearly eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Don't' kid yourself…after a really bad day at work, I'm more short-tempered with Mother and the boys than I normally would be. And if you think that Lee is to blame for all the fights that we've had over the years you're wrong. He's been blind-sided by my moods more times than I care to admit." That revelation broke the tension between them and they shared a comfortable laugh. Tilting her head to the side, Amanda looked at Francine tentatively.

"I probably shouldn't ask you this, but I just can't help myself…those boots are fabulous and you're clearly drawn to them, so why don't you want to buy them?"

"Those boots are top quality and they're a gloriously rich shade of brown, but they aren't striking enough, they don't scream 'look at me'."

"Do they have to," Amanda queried thoughtfully. "Wouldn't they be more of an asset to your wardrobe if they complemented the things that you already own? They would elevate whatever you wear them with, instead of demanding that you dress around them." She braced herself for her friend's haughty reply and was surprised when she didn't offer one.

"I hadn't thought about them that way," she trailed off as she began to mentally consider possible outfits. Satisfied that she'd made her point, Amanda wandered across the store's wide aisle to a display of cashmere sweaters in an array of rich fall hues. After looking at various styles for several minutes, she picked up a mustard colored cowl neck sweater and held it up to herself.

"I'll buy the boots, if you buy the sweater," Francine suggested conspiratorially, as she came up beside her.

"It's beautiful, but I can't buy it, have you seen the price? My budget is a lot more limited than yours." She regretfully carefully refolded the sweater and placed it back on the mahogany table from which she'd picked it up.

"Your budget recently changed dramatically," Francine challenged.

"I'm making more as a full agent than I was when I was working as a civilian auxiliary, but I have-"

"You have a brand 'new' husband," Francine interjected, "who makes a very good living. Lee isn't going to move into your house and not start contributing to keeping it running. Trust me, Amanda, your middle class values won't be completely corrupted if you treat yourself to one amazing cashmere sweater. Take the one that you were looking at and the emerald green one, and try them on." When Amanda hesitated, Francine continued, "As the senior agent, I'm making that an order," she whispered.

"First it was a question of who gets the bed and now it's this…I can't wait until I rack up some seniority. You win, even if I don't buy one, I'd love to see it on me." Francine pointed out the fitting room and agreed to meet her by the boot display. After trying on the original pair of boots and several others, she was approached by the saleswoman from the sweater department.

"Your companion asked me to tell you that she spotted two women who she thinks might fit the parts that you've been trying to cast. She didn't want them to get away; so she decided to go after them. She said she'll meet you back at your hotel as soon as she can." Francine thanked the saleswoman for relaying the message, and then looked heavenward. _Please let this be a false alarm…ah hell…she always manages to stumble into the middle of the real thing._

 _SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK_

Author's note: I'd like to offer a shout-out to Lanie Sullivan for beta-reading this chapter quickly and with no advance request.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: My thanks go out to Janet Hill and Lanie Sullivan, for their help in making this and the following chapter stronger than they originally were.

Francine paced the length of the hotel room that she and Amanda were forced to share. Three hours after receiving the junior agent's cryptic message, she was torn between being furious with her and being worried about her safety if she was indeed following two potential killers. She glanced at her watch despondently and then looked at the phone across the room as if it were taunting her. _I should have called Billy an hour ago. If I call him and try to cover up Amanda's taking off on her own and I fail, we'll both get into trouble…but, if I don't tell him that Amanda is out there on her own and she actually is in danger._ She shook her head gloomily. _How's Lee managed to deal with her doing this over the years? He's taken his frustrations out on Billy and me._ She smiled briefly as she decided to call Billy and let the chips fall where they may. _I failed to find her on my own and I can't leave her out there on her own if she's in trouble._ As she walked towards the phone, the hotel room door opened, revealing an exhausted and disheveled Amanda.

"Thank God, you're okay," Francine gushed uncharacteristically. "What possessed you to run off on your own," she demanded, abruptly switching back into agent mode.

"I had no choice," Amanda replied as she dropped wearily into an overstuffed wing chair. Francine rushed over to check her for injuries, but her cursory examination didn't reveal any.

"We always have choices, Amanda! Why did you blatantly disregard our orders to not do anything beyond observation without authorization from Billy?"

"While I was in the fitting room, I overheard two women speaking in heavily accented English. They were talking about making sure that the speech Queen Noor is giving tomorrow, will be her last. I had no choice; if I hadn't followed them we wouldn't have anything concrete to tell Mr. Melrose, so I went after them. They led me all over Atlanta. I was doing a very good job following them for a while, but then they spotted me when I accidentally got too close."

"What happened then?"

"They started to watch me from down a crowded street, so I pulled a pamphlet out of my handbag and tried to look like a tourist. I pretended to ask a nearby woman for directions and I thought that they bought my ruse. The pair of women that I'd been following were standing just outside of CNN Headquarters; while I was playing tourist they went inside so naturally I went in after them."

"Naturally." Francine raised her eyebrow and sat down in the chair opposite Amanda's.

"We all took the CNN tour. It was really fascinating…we got to see behind the scenes while they were broadcasting; well it's not really broadcasting since you have to have cable to see it. Mother and the boys would have loved it…the boys aren't really interested in news but Jamie is starting to show an interest since he's gotten close to Lee. I think he loves hearing the stories that Lee tells about the faraway places-" Francine's frayed nerves couldn't take any more so she interrupted Amanda in mid- ramble.

"Amanda, while I'm sure that it was an excellent sightseeing experience, could you PLEASE get back to the women that you were following."

"That's just it, Francine, they weren't there to sightsee! As soon as the tour guide volunteered to take questions; they asked the first one. They wanted to know if the queen's speech would be covered live tomorrow; by CNN and other news outlets. I was able to continue to follow them after the tour ended. They went into a MARTA station so I went in after them, parts of it look older than our Metro system, but it seems to have more different lines…" She trailed off as Francine once again looked at her impatiently. "We rode the train into the suburbs and they got off at a station that was near a strip mall. I followed them, at a much more discreet distance, to a gun shop. They went inside…although I thought that they were beginning to look a little skittish…since it was a very small shop I couldn't go in after them."

"So you came back here?"

"Of course not, if I'd come back here at that point we wouldn't know who we were dealing with. I waited until they went back to the MARTA station, and then I went into the gun shop and flashed my badge."

"Oh no, we weren't supposed to make our presence here known unless it was an emergency."

"Francine, I'm not a rookie anymore, I remember what Mr. Melrose's instructions were." She sat up straighter in her chair and looked affronted by Francine's comment. "I flashed my badge very quickly and told the man behind the counter that I was from the ATF."

"You impersonated an ATF agent!" Francine stared at her incredulously.

"Don't look at me that way…one of my strengths as an agent is my ability to think outside of the box. I needed to find out what they bought and who they are since I didn't dare follow them any further. I found out that they bought a handgun and paid cash for it. I leaned on the dealer," she visibly puffed up as she continued, " I convinced him that I was only interested in identifying the women but since they paid cash and Georgia gun laws don't require that he see their ID he couldn't tell me who they are."

"This is awful, we know that they're armed and that they intend to target Queen Noor, but we don't know who they are or where to find them," Francine surmised.

"Not exactly…I still don't know who they are but I do know that they're guests at this hotel," she practically crowed. "I was so exhausted when I left the gun shop that I decided to splurge by taking a cab back here instead of riding the train again. As I walked into the hotel, I saw the women I'd been following walking across the lobby, and one of them had a room key in her hand. We wouldn't know any of this if I hadn't gone off on my own…so you aren't angry at me, are you," she questioned as she looked at Francine uncertainly.


	4. Chapter 4

"Amanda, this is hardly the time for us to stop and chat about how I feel about the fact that you totally ignored Agency regulations…and left me to…" Francine closed her eyes, took a deep breath and then looked at Amanda with an unreadable expression on her face. "We need to call Billy and fill him in on your suspicions without getting us both suspended in the process."

"Suspended?" She placed her hands on her hips and refused to be deterred. "Why would he do that when we've done precisely what we were sent here to do?"

"We were sent here to discreetly provide an additional level of security for the queen. Our orders were to report any suspicious people or activities to Billy, so that he could determine whether or not to become involved despite the wishes of the Jordanian government." Francine slowly stood up and walked over to the mini-bar in the corner of the room. She eyed the alcoholic beverages, but picked up a diet Coke instead. "Do you want anything to drink," she asked her temporary partner, while sneaking a glance at her.

"No, thanks, I'll have something after I've called Mr. Melrose to tell him what I did." She kicked aside the ridiculously high heels that she had already removed, massaged her feet and then rose from the chair. "I realize that you put yourself on the line by not calling him sooner; I appreciate that you were willing to protect me-"

"Protect you, that's a laugh," Francine spat out. "You made it impossible for me to watch your back. If something bad had happened to you, telling Billy would have been the least of my problems…I'd have to face Lee and your boys; they aren't strangers to me anymore…how could I tell them that you're never coming home? You had absolutely no right to put me in that position!"

"I…I didn't plan to…it just happened. When I promised you back in DC, that I'd stick close to you and follow your orders, I intended to do just that. I was genuinely torn when I overheard those women in the fitting room; by the time that I had changed back into my own clothes, I didn't have enough time to report back to you, they would have gotten away. I really hoped that if the saleswoman gave you my message quickly enough, you could have caught up to us. I really don't enjoy pursuing potential killers on my own. Even after all that's happened to me over the past few years, there are times when I'm amazed that I'm still in this line of work."

"You and me, both!" 

"Hey! I thought that you'd gotten used to working with me." She looked down at her feet, and hoped that the extent to which her feelings had been hurt didn't show on her face. _I thought that if I could learn to deal with Lee's mood swings, I could deal with anyone's, but she's so hard to read. I didn't think she viewed me as an equal; but I really thought she'd come to respect me as a fellow agent._ The two agents stood eyeing each other warily, across the too quiet room. 

"Amanda, I don't mind working with you, but I'd be lying to you if I didn't admit that I prefer being paired with you when we have home field advantage. It takes a lot to unnerve me…your disappearing act this afternoon…" Rather than completing her sentence, she took a long sip of her soda, and watched the condensation drip down the side of the can. The awkward silence in the room was broken by the ringing of the telephone. Amanda, being closer to the phone, answered it in a voice that exuded more confidence than she was actually feeling.

"Hello."

"Hello, Amanda, is Francine there with you?" Billy unconsciously held his breath as he waited for her reply. 

"Yes, we're here together. Sir, I know that we missed our last check-in, that was my fault. I wasn't near a phone…I was a little tied up-" 

"You don't mean that literally, do you?" He rubbed the bridge of his nose, as a flurry of memories of other occasions when she or Lee had used that phrase assailed him.

"No, not this time." Her cheeks grew pink with embarrassment, as Francine came to stand beside her in order to attempt to hear Billy's end of the conversation. The blonde agent's proximity fueled Amanda's discomfit. "They didn't get me," Amanda stated in what she perceived as a move to prove that her skills had improved considerably since she began working with Lee. Francine shook her head, in a futile effort to rein her in, but Amanda was trying desperately to tune out her increasingly prickly attitude.

"They?" Billy's voice boomed from the telephone receiver. "I specifically told you both that you were being sent in to observe only; if you spotted any suspicious behavior you were supposed to contact me immediately."

"Sir, if I hadn't followed them, then I wouldn't have been able to provide you with-" 

"Amanda," he interrupted her defense of her actions as his hand clutched the phone wire with a death grip. "We aren't going to discuss this now, please let me speak to Francine." She handed over the phone receiver, but didn't back away. Having experienced his wrath on enough occasions to expect shouting, Francine held the receiver at a distance from her ear.

"Hello, Billy." She waited a beat and was met with silence at the other end of the line. _He must be even more furious than I expected…well, the only way out of this mess is to move forward._ "I don't think the Agency was exposed and Amanda is safe and sound."

"Am I correct in surmising that she went off on her own?"

 _I can't believe that I'm going to stand up for Amanda King…Stetson._ "Yes, but she didn't plan to-" 

"She rarely plans these…I can't deal with that now…what do you think about HER lead?"

"I don't think it should be ignored…she overheard two women discussing their intent to make the speech the Queen is going to make tomorrow her last." Amanda had been unsure about what Francine was going to say to Billy, but she was gratified that she was treating her 'report' seriously. "How are we going to proceed," the blonde asked as she prepared to assert her full authority as the senior agent.

"I need to make some calls at my end…to try to find out if the Jordanians can be reasoned with in light of what we suspect. I want you two to have a quiet dinner in the hotel restaurant. Play your covers to the hilt and do nothing else. I'll call you with further orders in ninety minutes." They exchanged good-byes and then Francine turned to Amanda, who had been unable to hear what Billy had said.

"What's our next move," the overeager junior agent asked, radiating enthusiasm.

"We're going to dress for dinner at the five star restaurant downstairs. Billy wants us to play our covers for anyone who may be watching us. He'll call us later with updated orders.

"That's it? Go have a fancy dinner while…" Amanda allowed herself to be silenced by an icy glare from Francine. "If it's okay with you, I'll use the bathroom first?" Receiving an affirmative nod, she headed across the room, with Francine watching her closely. _It's not like her to give in so easily._ She reached for her own toiletry bag and tried to shrug off her growing sense of unease.


	5. Chapter 5

Emerging from the bathroom, Francine was surprised to see Amanda loading the chamber of her handgun. _Now, I'm sure she's up to something…she never handles her weapon anymore than necessary._ Hoping to put a stop to whatever she might be planning, she challenged her action.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm loading my gun. I only had two shots left because I was practicing with Leatherneck earlier in the week," she replied without taking her eyes off the weapon in her hand.

"Why are you concerned about having that many potential shots ?" The more experienced agent removed her own gun from the holster she had been wearing earlier in the day, and slipped it into her small evening bag.

"I'm your partner…on this case…and I plan to be fully prepared to act accordingly. While the past few weeks have been wonderful on a personal level; openly becoming Mrs. Stetson has been a career setback."

"How so? Dr. Smyth grudgingly admitted that breaking up your partnership with Lee wouldn't be in the Agency's best interests." She cocked her head in Amanda's direction and waited for her reply.

"Surprisingly, he's been willing to tacitly admit that I've earned my position as Lee's partner, I'm sorry to say that I'm afraid that some people never will believe that. Publicly marrying Lee has stirred up a lot of the gossip about my place at the Agency that had died down over time…in some eyes, I'm back to being Scarecrow's little woman."

"That's not true," Francine countered half heartedly, as she checked her makeup rather than facing Amanda.

"You and I know how I hard I worked to become a full agent, but some people-"

"Those people don't matter; they're jealous of what you've achieved. You have a promising career and now they know without a doubt that you have Lee. Don't let them diminish your enjoyment of your new life!"

"That's easier said than done. We don't have time to discuss this now; we have roles to play…and I'm really hungry." She put her gun in her handbag, and eased her feet into slightly lower- heeled shoes than she'd been wearing earlier. Francine stuck with her higher heels and followed her to the door of the room. Out in the hallway, they engaged in a lively conversation about where they each planned to vacation during the upcoming holiday season. They made certain that anyone who might be listening to them would come away convinced that they were socialites with too much money and time on their hands.

"Ronald invited me to spend a week with him in Telluride, can you imagine, skiing domestically during the holidays?" When Amanda failed to jump in with a quick response, she continued on, gesturing wildly. "I told him in no uncertain terms, that I would be skiing in Gstaad with Mark."

"I thought that you'd grown bored with Mark?"

"He can be tedious at times; but he knows how to enjoy the finer things. I may not actually go with him though…Lawrence invited me to visit him at his place in the Caribbean that same week."

"Francesca, you amaze me, I swear you've stayed with your hairdresser longer than you have with any one man since we've met," Amanda said cattily, as she began to enjoy their role playing. She was so convincing that the worldly blonde next to her was actually stung by her words, as they hit close to home. Their arrival at the entrance to the restaurant spared her from having to reply. They asked to be seated in the center of the room; as it would afford them a view of the other diners' comings and goings. Francine subconsciously smoothed her carefully crafted chignon, as she reflected on Amanda's comment. _Is that how she actually sees me?_ Still deep in thought, _she_ stole a glance at her as they were being seated. _Oh_ God, _I've only been seeing Michael for six months; but Jean-Charles has been doing my hair for five years!_ She sighed inaudibly and reached for the water glass at her place setting. _I need to get a grip, I've been taking her to task for not keeping her head in the game and now I'm zoning out. I've got to get away from her for long enough to regain my focus._ As her attention returned to Amanda, she realized that her dinner companion was in the midst of a lengthy monologue centered on the weekend she'd spent at Bromfield Hall. Miranda, her cover, was talking about the time she'd spent in the English countryside; carefully editing out the Agency related aspects of that weekend. She'd become so engrossed in describing the palatial estate, that Francine's subtle attempt to get her attention failed.

"Miranda," she broke in. "Please excuse me; I need to go make a quick call. I'll use one of the payphones that I spotted on the way in. You stay put; when the waitress comes, order the appetizers."

"What would you like," she inquired as Francine stood up.

"You decide; I trust your judgment," she replied and quickly disappeared from Amanda's view. _Oh great…she trusts me to select an appetizer…but when it comes to something more consequential…_ She smiled in spite of the frustration she was feeling, and reached for a menu. Ten minutes later, Francine hadn't returned and she was still waiting for the waitress. _Francine should be back by now; after what I did this afternoon, I didn't think she would let me out of her sight._ She casually pushed her salad fork off the table, so that she could stoop to pick it up, and sneak a look at the bank of phones located at the entrance that was located behind her. Not seeing her partner; she tried to keep her rising sense of apprehension under control.


	6. Chapter 6

Amanda chewed on her lower lip, as she absently placed her retrieved fork on the corner of the table. _If this were a couple of months ago, I wouldn't be worried about Francine, I'd be sure that she was paying me back for worrying her this afternoon. Now that we're friends, life is much simpler…and so much more complicated, she keeps surprising me._ She took a long, slow sip of water in an effort to calm her nerves. _Something must have happened to her; she was looking forward to putting a lobster dinner on her Agency expense account._ Convinced that her partner was in trouble, she grabbed her handbag and walked towards the restaurant's entrance, scanning the dining area as she went along. 

"Is there a problem?" the hostess, who had seated the pair, asked as she approached. 

"I'm not sure, my friend excused herself to make a phone call and she hasn't come back. Did she walk past you?"

"I took a break after I seated you, but maybe Rick saw her." She motioned towards a young man in a waiter's uniform, listening in on their conversation with interest. Amanda made eye contact with him, and offered a tentative smile.

"Hello, did you see my friend leave?" 

"Is your friend a hot blonde?" The appalled hostess glared at him, but said nothing.

"Yes, she's been described that way," Amanda replied as the young waiter began to look embarrassed by his unfortunate choice of words. "Did you see her make a call?"

"She was standing by the phones, but I didn't actually see her make a call. A couple of minutes later, I saw her walking away with two strange women who were hovering by the entrance." 

"That's enough, Rick," scolded the disgusted hostess. "We don't describe our guests as 'hot' or 'strange'."

"What was strange about the women," Amanda interrupted anxiously.

"They didn't have a reservation, and we didn't have a table immediately available, so I asked for a name to put on the list of diners who were waiting for tables. I suggested that they wait in the bar until their table was ready. One of them told me quite snippily that unlike Westerners, they don't drink. Before I could say anything else they walked away, but…" 

"But what?" She clutched her handbag more tightly as she waited for his answer.

"They left, but they only walked a few feet from the entrance and I assumed that they were discussing where else they might dine. When I returned from seating a couple who did have a reservation, I saw the women walking away with your friend between them." 

"Thank you for the information. I really must catch up with them; can you tell me what they look like?" _Oh my gosh!_ After hearing his description of the women, she rushed from the restaurant, all of her senses on hyper-alert as she hurried back to their room. Once there, she quickly looked around in the faint hope that Francine had made it back safely. Sitting down on her bed, she reached for the phone and dialed the number for Billy's private line.

"Melrose," he barked into the phone, startling her as she was thinking about what she was going to say to him.

"Sir, it's Amanda-" 

"Amanda," he uncharacteristically interrupted her, "I generally applaud your enthusiasm but in this instance, we need to tread lightly…the Jordanians-"

"Don't care about Francine; I do and I think she's in danger." 

"What happened? I specifically ordered the two of you to go have a very public dinner together…were my orders followed?" he questioned, his volume increasing as his concern grew.

"Yes, Sir, we went to the restaurant together, but before we placed our dinner order, Francine excused herself to make a phone call. When she'd been gone for longer than she should have been, I went to look for her. She was seen walking away from the restaurant with two women who fit the description of the pair I followed earlier. We need to rescue her; this isn't just about the Queen's safety anymore."

"You're right; if one of my agents is in danger then I have every right to launch a rescue operation. Stay in your room, don't open the door to anyone, I'll have Lee on the next plane down." 

"With all due respect, Sir, Francine needs help now…not in several hours. If she were in my place, you wouldn't tell her to stay on the sidelines and wait for Lee to save the day. I'm her partner, I need back-up now because I refuse to sit here and do nothing while she's in danger."

"Amanda, I know how you feel-"

"No, Sir, you don't…no one questions your qualifications as an agent. Lee once told me that he couldn't 'baby me' on a particular case; I never asked him or anyone else to baby me. You took my contributions to the Agency seriously before anyone else did, please let me see this case through. Will you arrange back-up for me now?" She said ram-rod straight as she waited for his reply, her mouth growing drier with each passing second.

"You leave me very little choice, if I don't arrange for local back-up, you'll go it alone…and I'll be stuck here with your worried husband, waiting to find out how things turn out." She could hear a mixture of fatherly pride and irritation in his voice. "I have an old friend at the FBI's Atlanta bureau; he owes me a few favors, so I think he'll agree to help us out. You WILL stay in your room until I call you back with the details of what I'm able to arrange with him, am I understood?"

"Yes, I'll wait here. Thank you, Sir." _'Stay in your room' is just as bad as 'stay in the car'_ She hung up the phone and fought the temptation to pace while she waited for Billy to call her back. 

Ninety minutes after feeling the unmistakable sensation of a gun being shoved against her ribcage, Francine sat tied to a chair and gagged, in the far corner of her captors' hotel room. They stood several feet from her, arguing with each other in Arabic, unaware that she could understand most of what they were saying. A loud knocking on the door interrupted their dispute.

"Room service," shouted a woman with a heavy southern accent. The younger captor walked to the door and looked through the peephole. A young blonde woman, with a dinner cart, and an impatient expression on her face, stood outside the room.

"We did not order dinner," she replied through the locked door.

"I have the order right here; the meal has been charged to your room. I'll take it away if you've changed your mind, but you'll still be charged for it." Francine listened as the older captor said something unflattering about arrogant Americans, and instructed her companion to slip out into the hall, and threaten to complain to hotel management about the situation. The moment she unlocked the door, Amanda and a male FBI agent emerged from behind the dinner cart, and aimed their guns at her. The FBI man quickly grabbed her, while Amanda rushed into the room, and aimed her weapon at the other woman. 

"Don't move, I don't want to have to use this!" She looked from her adversary to her partner and back again. "Francine, are you okay?"

"Mmmhmm," she replied as another agent entered the room, and aimed his weapon at their prisoner. Quickly handing over her gun, Amanda began removing the gag from Francine's mouth, as her adrenaline spike started to wane. 

"I was so worried about you," she quietly gushed, as she moved on to untying her hands. 

"You didn't need to be," the blonde agent replied while massaging her sore wrists, "they're even less comfortable handling a gun than you are. I wish I'd realized that sooner…I was looking forward to our dinner downstairs."

"What happened to you," questioned one of the FBI agents. "Is Queen Noor still in danger?"

"The Queen is safe…what happened is a long story. If you two will lock up the prisoners for the night, my partner and I will explain everything to you in the morning." She turned her attention from them to Amanda. "C'mon, I'm tired and hungry, let's go order room service, and call our men," the last part she whispered to her equally exhausted friend.


End file.
